Hiddush - for Religious Freedom & Equality

Home
Israel
Jerusalem
Hiddush - for Religious Freedom & Equality

Hiddush is an advocacy and educational organization working to promote religious freedom and equality

Hebrew page:
https://www.facebook.com/hiddush.org.il

20/05/2026

Ruth said: "Your people shall be my people."

No rabbinical court, no lengthy process. Just a declaration of loyalty, and she was in.

And yet, the Knesset is pushing a bill that would mean someone like Ruth might not make the cut today.

The proposed amendment to the Law of Return is just two words: "according to halakha." But those two words would mean that only Orthodox conversions count for Israeli citizenship — and Reform and Conservative converts would simply no longer qualify.

Think about what that actually means. Only 9% of American Jews are Orthodox. 37% are Reform, 17% Conservative. Intermarriage rates are high. The ripple effect of changing the law wouldn't affect just a small fringe — it would run through the heart of Diaspora Jewry.

Every previous Israeli prime minister, left and right, has refrained from this change. Not because they lacked the votes, but because they understood what crossing this line would cost Israel in terms of its relationship with Jews around the world.

The Law of Return was supposed to be a bridge. This change would be like building a wall.

Ruth's whole story is about who gets to belong. This bill answers that question in the worst possible way.

Chag Shavuot Sameach — to every Jew, including those that this government would rather not count.

To read a great article on this topic, from IDI, click on the link in the comments below ⬇️

13/05/2026

The Supreme Court has ruled that government funding to the ultra-Orthodox school networks can only go to schools that teach the core curriculum!

Yesterday, in a hearing on our petition together with MK נעמה לזימי - Naama Lazimi, the Supreme Court decided that the 98 million shekels currently frozen under an interim injunction cannot be released without verifying that core curriculum subjects are being taught. Funds will only go to schools that comply.

This is an important first step. Until now, these networks received full funding with no one checking whether they were actually meeting their obligation. The court is now saying: that's over.

Next up is the major petition on the core curriculum, where we're seeking to make this the standard for all future funding of schools.

21/04/2026

78 years after Israel's founding values were proclaimed to the world in the Declaration of Independence, the gap between promise and reality keeps growing. The governing coalition is working with the ultra-Orthodox parties to expand rabbinical court authority and impose Orthodox control over marriage, divorce, conversion, kashrut, and burial — while funding religious indoctrination in secular schools, enforcing religious coercion in public life, undermining gender equality, marginalizing non-Orthodox Judaism, and eroding Israel's relationship with world Jewry.

The government is also failing the many children growing up in ultra-Orthodox society, denying them a real education and equal opportunity — threatening both their futures and Israel's economic and social stability.

All of this directly contradicts the Declaration of Independence, the will of Israel's majority, and the norms of every democratic nation.

Hiddush is working hard to close this gap — in the Supreme Court and in public discourse — and has achieved real progress, but much work remains. In the coming months, Israelis will face a choice about what kind of country they want. It's time to support those who will bring Israel back to the path promised in the Declaration of Independence.

As we mark Independence Day, we hope to soon see the values of independence and freedom truly fulfilled.

Yom Ha'atzmaut Sameach — Happy Israeli Independence Day!

16/04/2026

The state is funding ignorance — and this week, the Knesset made it official…

After a 7-hour debate, the Finance Committee approved nearly NIS 100 million for Haredi schools — despite data presented that showed that:
- 93% of English teachers in these schools are unqualified
- 90% of math teachers are unqualified
- 95% of science teachers are unqualified

Tens of thousands of children are being denied a real education. The Ministry of Education isn't even checking teacher qualifications, and MKs received 700 pages of raw data 30 minutes before the vote (which the opposition boycotted).

The Supreme Court already ruled that the original NIS 800 million transfer was unlawful — but, unfortunately, the court focused on formal legality rather than the core issue: whether the schools are actually meeting the prerequisites for funding, first and foremost compliance with the core curriculum.

That's the fight we're taking back to the Supreme Court. Our pending petitions - with MK נעמה לזימי - Naama Lazimi - will address what the committee refused to.

READ MORE in the comments below ⬇️

07/04/2026

On Sunday, former Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef — the spiritual leader of Shas — called Supreme Court judges "heretics" and said "may God destroy and kill them," after the court restricted Western Wall attendance during Passover for security reasons.

This is not a one-off outburst. It's a pattern. Yosef and his allies have never internalized the basic values of democracy or the separation of powers — and they make no effort to hide it.

These thuggish threats are a reminder of the destructive role Shas plays in Israeli politics. The next coalition must build a civil government that removes from power those who seek to dismantle democracy from within.

READ MORE in the comments below ⬇️

26/03/2026

Victory at the Supreme Court!

Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that last December's Finance Committee decision to transfer ~800 million NIS to Haredi education networks was unlawful and invalid.

MKs were kept in the dark — most of the money had already been transferred before they even voted. Justice Yael Willner called the proceedings a "sham discussion" and dismissed the whole thing as "theater." The Knesset's own legal advisor admitted the Treasury had acted unlawfully and deliberately misled Members of Knesset!

Together with MK נעמה לזימי - Naama Lazimi, we petitioned the Supreme Court — and yesterday, justice prevailed.

By court order, the Finance Committee will reconvene next Tuesday to decide on the remaining 98 million NIS — this time with full transparency and all the facts on the table. There is no doubt the networks received more than they were entitled to. If the Ministries of Education and Finance withhold data, we will be back in court. 💪

READ MORE in the comments below ⬇️

25/03/2026

Yesterday, the Knesset passed a law which will significantly expand the authority of Israel’s religious court systems. The law, sponsored by the Haredi United Torah Judaism and Shas parties, gives the religious tribunals the power to arbitrate civil disputes which are currently under the authority of the secular courts.

Responding to the news, Uri Regev, CEO of Hiddush, said: “In an effort to ease the frustration of the Haredi parties over the failure to pass the draft exemption law, the government is continuing its fire-sale dismantling of Israel's Jewish and democratic core values.

What is at stake is judicial authority over civil, economic, and other matters being granted to a judicial body funded by the State, whose judges openly declare that they are not bound by the laws of the State — unlike judges in the civil courts. This is yet another step pushing Israel toward a model resembling the Shi’ite theocracy in Iran.

The economic, security, and educational ruin of the State of Israel will have to be averted in the upcoming elections by removing from power this government, which continues to undermine Israel's democratic character.”

READ MORE in the comments below ⬇️

19/02/2026

For years, Hiddush has been asking a straightforward question: if schools are going to be funded by taxpayers, shouldn’t they teach the basic, core subjects that their students need??

This week, Israel’s Supreme Court has finally said that the State needs to answer that question. In a petition filed by Hiddush, the court issued a conditional order demanding to know why billions of shekels keep flowing to ultra-Orthodox school networks that, by the government's own admission, are not teaching core subjects.

According to Hiddush's findings, not a single boys' school in these networks teaches the full core curriculum!

Commenting on the news, our Deputy Director and Legal Advisor Dr. Yifat Solel said that “the entire budgeting system for the Haredi school networks is built on a fiction. There are billions of shekels flowing to coalition partners — while tens of thousands of children are abandoned to lives of ignorance and illiteracy.”

This is not the end of the road yet - the State has until April 15 to respond to the court order - but the court is now asking the right questions, and we will not rest until we receive answers and ensure that public funding is only going to educational institutions teaching the core curriculum, taking part in standardized testing, and employing qualified teachers.

The battle continues…

READ MORE in the comments below ⬇️

29/01/2026

In his recent blog, Yesh Atid MK יוראי להב הרצנו - Yorai Lahav Hertzanu lays out the case for a different vision for Israel: “one where every Israeli can have an equal share in our one big Israeli story. Serving in the army. Working and paying taxes. And yes, having the freedom to marry who they love in the country they call home.”

Too many Israelis are denied the basic right to marry at home because of religious coercion. LGBT Israelis. Secular Israelis. Immigrants. Citizens who give everything to this country and are told they don’t fully belong.

Israel can remain proudly Jewish and democratic. Those who want to marry through the Rabbinate should be able to. But those who want a civil marriage should also be able to marry as they wish.

And as many as 60% of the public supports recognizing all types of marriage in Israel.

This election year, we must offer a vision of an Israel where everyone has an equal share in our collective story - including the freedom to marry the person they love, in the country they call home.

READ MORE in the comments below ⬇️

22/01/2026

“Ultra-Orthodox politicians can be counted on for one thing: refusing to take responsibility, cynically shifting it elsewhere at the very moment when they should be examining themselves — or at least keeping quiet.”

“What began as ‘autonomy’ for Ultra-Orthodox education under Israel’s original ‘status quo’ arrangements has, over decades, turned into outright anarchy, shaped by the political convenience of successive governments.”

Many words have been penned - in sadness, anger, and despair - in the days since the tragic incident on Monday - in which two babies died, and dozens were injured in an unlicensed and unregulated Haredi daycare facility in Jerusalem.

This op-ed in Ynet gives some insight into the recent explosion of a phenomena which is common in so many areas of Haredi society - where the Haredi community insists on autonomy and isolation, and refuses to accept oversight or adherence to the law of the state and its institutions. Sadly - and not for the first time - this often leads to anarchy and the most tragic of consequences…

READ MORE in the comments below ⬇️

Address

22 Ha'uman Street
Jerusalem
94320

Telephone

+972775304131

Website

http://www.hiddush.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Hiddush - for Religious Freedom & Equality posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Featured

The Israeli Arab Empowerment Project / IAE

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Jerusalem?